Earthquakes

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: Someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation, but different in a way – the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyways).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude.

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. Though there have been nine deaths reported so far, a small number compared to what could have happened, 12 people are still missing and 200 people have been injured after the quake. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit, but the biggest tsunami to strike was a four inch wave and warnings have since then been downgraded. There have been more than 200 aftershocks since Saturday.

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 500, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia on Mar. 5. In Taiwan, although almost 100 people were injured in the quake, there have not yet been any reports of deaths, and the quake in Sumatra caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks resulted in a bit more than 50 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

All the earthquakes and destruction wreaked by them are frightening, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

Despite all the bad news, there actually is good news: Buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, but they can be built to resist earthquakes as best they can. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japanese, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of the many deaths that could have been possible, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Ivana added a last reminder to all: “Everyone in California, make sure your earthquake boxes are ready!”

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: Someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that [the] infamous question: ["of" ---too many colons in one sentence LOL] “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation, but different in a way [kinda confusing, seems redundant] – the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyways).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude.

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. Though there have been nine deaths reported so far, a small number compared to what could have happened [separate with parentheses or dashes], 12 people are still missing and 200 people have been injured after the quake [delete]. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit, but the biggest tsunami to strike was a four inch wave and warnings have since then been downgraded. There have been more than [over] 200 aftershocks since Saturday [specific date].

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast [northeast] of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 500, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little [insert "more"] than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia on Mar. 5. In Taiwan, although almost 100 people were injured in the quake, there have not yet been any reports of deaths, and the quake in Sumatra caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks resulted in a bit more than 50 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

All the earthquakes and destruction wreaked by them are frightening, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

Despite all the bad news, there actually is good news: Buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, but they can be built to resist earthquakes as best they can [reread this. it sounds obvious like "they can't be perfect, but they sure can do their best" instead try something about new infrastructure or...(sorry idk much about this LOL) "new technological advances and new designs have been adopted to erect buildings that can withstand earthquakes with larger magnitudes for longer periods of time, thus, saving more lives" or something...just suggestions here, i didn't do any research so you'll have to look into that!]. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japanese, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of the many deaths that could have been possible, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Ivana added a last reminder to all: “Everyone in California, make sure your earthquake boxes are ready!”.

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: Someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation, but different in a way – the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyways).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude.

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. There have been nine deaths reported so far (a small number compared to what could have happened), 12 people are still missing, and 200 people have been injured. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit; however, the biggest tsunami to strike was a four-inch wave, and warnings have since been downgraded. There have been over 200 aftershocks since the quake, but Japan is recovering well.

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 500, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little less than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. There were no reports of deaths, though almost 100 people were injured. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Mar. 5, which caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks caused more than 50 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

The amount of destruction being caused by the earthquakes is frightening, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

But, as promised, there is good news: Though buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, engineers have learned how to design structures so they are flexible or strong enough to resist the quake [as best they can-should i put this part in or does it sound sort of redundant?]. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japan, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of a large casualty count, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that these earthquakes are indications the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Ivana added a last reminder to all: “Everyone in California, make sure your earthquake boxes are ready!”

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: Someone [someone] approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation, but different in a way – the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyways [anyway]).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude.

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. There have been nine deaths reported so far (a small number compared to what could have happened), 12 people are still missing, and 200 people have been injured. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit; however, the biggest tsunami to strike was a four-inch wave, and warnings have since been downgraded. There have been over 200 aftershocks since the quake, but Japan is recovering well.

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 500, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little less than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. There were no reports of deaths, though almost 100 people were injured. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Mar. 5, which caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks caused more than 50 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

The amount of destruction being caused by the earthquakes is frightening, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

But, as promised, there is good news: Though buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, engineers have learned how to design structures so they are flexible or strong enough to resist the quake [quakes of higher magnitudes for longer periods of time---if it's true...LOL!]. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japan, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of a large casualty count, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that these earthquakes are indications the world is coming to an end [hhaha yeah i heard about that! something about a volcano under Yosemite that's gonna cause another ice age...LOL], geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Ivana added a last reminder to all: “Everyone in California, make sure your earthquake boxes are ready!”

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation - this time, the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyway).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude. The amount of destruction being caused by the earthquakes has been devastating, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. There have been nine deaths reported so far (a small number compared to what could have happened), 12 people are still missing, and 200 people have been injured. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit; however, the biggest tsunami to strike was a four-inch wave, and warnings have since been downgraded. There have been over 200 aftershocks since the quake, but Japan is recovering well.

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 500, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little less than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. There were no reports of deaths, though almost 100 people were injured. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Mar. 5, which caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks caused more than 40 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

About a week later, on Mar. 16 at 4:04am, a 4.4 earthquake centered in Pico Rivera was enough to wake up some students in Arcadia from bed. Junior Landon Jensen, who works with the Pasadena Fire Department, said the fire department went on "earthquake mode" the morning of the quake; "earthquake mode" is described as a precautionary action. "This morning there was no damage in Arcadia, but we did have some medical calls related to [the earthquake]," said Landon, "We had...some difficulty breathing calls which were most likely related to anxiety and people getting scared."

But, as promised, there is good news: Though buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, engineers have learned how to design structures so they are flexible or strong enough to resist quakes of higher magnitudes. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japan, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of a large casualty count, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that these earthquakes are indications the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Landon mentioned, "We are not prepping anymore than we already have for the city. We have several disaster caches of supplies in the city in case the 'big one' does hit, but they are already assembled and maintained. Of course, we're encouraging the public like always to get their own supplies ready but not everyone listens until a small quake...happens [close to home]."

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation - this time, the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyway).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude. The amount of destruction being caused by the earthquakes has been devastating, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

On Feb. 26, Japan was hit by a 7.0 earthquake, the epicenter just off the Japanese coast. There have been only two injuries reported that were related to the earthquake, a small number compared to what could have happened. Japanese officials immediately issued tsunami warnings after the earthquake hit; however, the biggest tsunami to strike was a four-foot wave, and warnings have since been downgraded. There have been over 200 aftershocks since the quake, but Japan is recovering well.

The next day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 700, a growing number of people are being listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little less than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. There were no reports of deaths, though almost 100 people were injured. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Mar. 5, which caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks caused more than 40 reported deaths and 30 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

About a week later, on Mar. 16 at 4:04am, a 4.4 earthquake centered in Pico Rivera was enough to wake up some students in Arcadia from bed. Junior Landon Jensen, who works with the Pasadena Fire Department, said the fire department went on "earthquake mode" the morning of the quake; "earthquake mode" is described as a precautionary action. "This morning there was no damage in Arcadia, but we did have some medical calls related to [the earthquake]," said Landon, "We had...some difficulty breathing calls which were most likely related to anxiety and people getting scared."

But, as promised, there is good news: Though buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, engineers have learned how to design structures so they are flexible or strong enough to resist quakes of higher magnitudes. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japan, Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of a large casualty count, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that these earthquakes are indications the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Landon mentioned, "We are not prepping anymore than we already have for the city. We have several disaster caches of supplies in the city in case the 'big one' does hit, but they are already assembled and maintained. Of course, we're encouraging the public like always to get their own supplies ready but not everyone listens until a small quake...happens [close to home]."

You’ve probably had this happen to you before: someone approaches you with something to tell you, but first they ask that infamous question: “Good news or bad news?” This is similar to such a situation - this time, the bad news comes first (come on, most people pick bad news first anyway).

The bad news: In the past two months, there have been earthquakes occurring all over the globe and nine that have reached at least a 6.0 magnitude. The amount of destruction being caused by the earthquakes has been devastating, to say the least. “Just the seemingly-never ending trends of these earthquakes and the disaster and horror it has caused is truly shocking and heartbreaking,” said sophomore Ivana Ro. “My prayers are with the victims and those affected by them.”

On Feb. 27, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred off the coast of Chile, with the epicenter just north-northeast of its second largest city, Concepción. The death toll is currently close to 450, an estimate of 96 people are listed as missing, and over 500,000 homes have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by the quake.

In a little less than a week later, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Taiwan on Mar. 4. There were no reports of deaths, though almost 100 people were injured. Following that was a 6.5-magnitude earthquake offshore of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Mar. 5, which caused no major incidents.

Several days later, on Mar. 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Turkey in the early morning at 4:30 a.m. while many were sleeping. The quake and 100 aftershocks caused more than 55 reported deaths and 100 injuries. The stone and mud-brick homes that many citizens lived in were completely reduced to the ground in a matter of minutes.

About a week later, on Mar. 16 at 4:04am, a 4.4 earthquake centered in Pico Rivera was felt by many people in Arcadia. Junior Landon Jensen, who works with the Pasadena Fire Department, said the fire department went on "earthquake mode" the morning of the quake; "earthquake mode" is described as a precautionary action. "[That] morning there was no damage in Arcadia, but we did have some medical calls related to [the earthquake]," said Landon, "We had...some difficulty breathing calls which were most likely related to anxiety and people getting scared."

But, as promised, there is good news: Though buildings cannot be built to be 100% earthquake-proof, engineers have learned how to design structures so they are flexible or strong enough to resist quakes of higher magnitudes. Some agree this is why Chile, despite experiencing an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, had less than one four-hundredth the number of casualties that came from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Sumatra, and Taiwan were also spared of a large casualty count, thanks to building codes regarding earthquakes. Officials in Turkey are now looking in on the possibility of setting a new set of building codes to prevent other future incidents.

And even more good news: Despite the panic that these earthquakes are indications the world is coming to an end, geologists have acknowledged this myriad of earthquakes as clusters. Scientists describe clusters as earthquakes happening all at once instead of spread out like they usually are. Every year, there is an average of 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9, but most are not given much coverage because they happen underwater or in areas where they can cause little damage.

Though there really is no way for scientists to predict earthquakes, should one strike, remember that the best way to ride one out is to be prepared in advance. Landon mentioned, "We are not prepping anymore than we already have for the city. We have several disaster caches of supplies in the city in case the 'big one' does hit, but they are already assembled and maintained. Of course, we're encouraging the public like always to get their own supplies ready but not everyone listens until a small quake...happens [close to home]."